


and you know for me, it's always you

by thotsandfeelings



Category: The West Wing
Genre: 4x11 holy night, Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotsandfeelings/pseuds/thotsandfeelings
Summary: “Josh,” she hums and she moves her hands to his hair so she can hold him in place. “We’re making out in your office.”
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 18
Kudos: 159





	and you know for me, it's always you

Donna grunts again as Josh leans heavily against her as they make their way up the stairs and to his apartment. 

“Josh, you gotta work with me here,” she says, her voice strained. They finally make it to the landing and she leaves him leaning against the wall so she can grab her keys from her purse and get the door unlocked. She pushes it open and grabs his hand to swing his arm around her shoulders so she can haul him inside. “How did you even get this drunk? I had an eye on you the whole night.”

Josh smirks. “When you went to the bathroom with CJ, Toby ordered a couple shots of tequila.”

“Josh,” she says indignantly, “you’re not supposed to drink with Toby anymore after what happened at the gala last year.”

He just sighs loudly and tightens his hold around her shoulders. “You smell nice,” he slurs and he turns a little so he can rest his face right in her neck. “Like a flower.”

Donna huffs and they stumble their way into his bedroom. He finally releases his death grip around her and falls backwards onto the bed, fully clothed. She stares down at him. His eyes are closed, his clothes are rumpled, and she knows he’s about 2 seconds away from passing out, so she grabs his hand and pulls him to a sitting position.

He whines her name, his face contorting into the most adorable pout she’s ever seen, and she has to bite her lip so she doesn’t laugh. Her boss is a pain in the ass, but she’s always secretly had a soft spot for when he gets like this. 

“Come on,” she murmurs and she pulls on his tie to loosen it and take it off of him. “Take your clothes off.”

He smiles. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“So you can _sleep_ , Joshua.”

He frowns again and shrugs his suit jacket off. He tries to undo the buttons on his shirt, but his eyes are closed again and he nods off before he gets the second one undone. Donna just smiles exasperatedly and shoos his hands away so she can do it for him. A serene smile crosses his face and he sways a little when she pushes the shirt off of his shoulders.

“You’re a good egg, Donnatella,” he mumbles.

“I always thought so,” she teases and she moves to throw his shirt in his laundry hamper. “I need your pants, too. I’ll send out your dry cleaning tomorrow.”

Josh falls onto his back again with a loud groan and slowly starts to undo his fly. Donna decides it’s probably not appropriate for her to watch her boss take off his pants, so she goes to his kitchen to grab some aspirin and a tall glass of water for him. When she gets back to the bedroom, his pants are pushed down, stuck around his ankles because he still has his shoes on.

“Josh,” she says and nudges his foot a little. He’s coherent enough to take the hint and he toes off his shoes and then kicks wildly to get his pants off. “You know, there will come a time,” she says and sets the glass and pills on his nightstand, “where I’m not gonna be around to take care of your drunk ass and–”

“Don’t say that,” he mutters and his eyes peel open. “You’re always gonna be around.”

She doesn’t say anything as she grabs his shoes and lines them up with the rest of them in his closet and she folds his wrinkly trousers and suit jacket as he lays on his bed with his legs dangling over the side pathetically. She murmurs his name and he doesn’t respond. She grabs his wrist and his eyes fly open. Her breath hitches a little at the intense look he’s giving her. She squeezes his arm and tries to pull him up again, but he gains a bout of strength and tugs on her until she half-falls on top of him. 

“Josh,” she grunts and tries to twist out of his hold, but he grabs her arm tighter. 

“Say you’ll always be around.”

She huffs and tries to sit up again, but his grip is vice-like and she can’t move. “Fine,” she says. “Will you let me go now?”

“ _Promise_ me you’ll always be around.”

“Where is this coming from?”

“Just promise me, Donna,” he slurs and he moves his other hand to her chin and forces her to look at him.

“Fine, I promise,” she relents and her brow furrows a little as she searches his drunken gaze, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. She says his name softly and wraps her fingers around his wrist. “What’s wrong?”

“Commander Wonderful is trying to steal you away,” he sighs and his grip somehow tightens around her. “I gotta stake my claim.”

“This is about Jack?”

His face twists into disgust. “I should have him transferred to the North Pole,” he mutters and he finally drops the hand he’s got on her face.

Donna’s face hardens as she leans back to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t like him,” he mumbles and he turns on his side, maneuvering their still clasped hands under his chin. 

“Josh, you were the one who talked me up and ultimately got him to call me. If you don’t like him, then why would you–”

“Because Joey Lucas was right.”

Donna shakes her head, completely lost now. “What was Joey right about?” she asks and moves to sit up. Josh lets her this time, but still won’t let go of her hand. She tugs on him a little so he’s back in a sitting position. Then, she helps him stand so she can pull back his comforter and he flops ungracefully onto the mattress. 

“What have we been talking about, Donna?” he asks, a little exasperated that she’s not following his convoluted train of thought. 

“I honestly couldn’t tell you.”

He nods his head forlornly. “Exactly. You don’t know.”

Donna looks down at him for a moment, but ultimately decides this conversation is best saved when his communication skills are up to snuff. “Go to sleep, Josh,” she says, pulling the blanket up his torso. “I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

He slurs her name again and tries to fight through his haze of inebriation so he can look at her. “He doesn’t deserve you,” he says, blinking slowly as he tries to stay awake. “Neither do I, but he definitely doesn’t. He’s a _Republican_.”

Donna huffs a laugh and stares into his glassy eyes. This is nowhere near the first time she’s seen him in this state. It’s not even the worst he’s ever been, but there’s something different in his drunken babbling tonight. Usually he just goes on about Congress or how Toby is such a massive pain in his ass. If he’s mocking her choice in men, it’s never been this serious before and she can generally decipher what he’s saying, but she can’t read his mind this time, which is unsettling. 

“I could’ve been in the Navy,” he continues and Donna smirks.

“You get seasick.”

“I still could’ve done it.”

His eyes stay closed and Donna’s about to walk out of his room when she hears him mumble something else.

“What?”

“Misdirection,” he mutters and she cocks her head in confusion.

“Josh, what–”

“That’s what Joey was right about and I didn’t believe her. But she was right and I’m not in the Navy.”

“Okay,” Donna laughs and takes a step away from his bed. “You can explain that one to me in the morning.”

He snags her hand one more time and she looks down at him again. He breathes deeply for a moment and she thinks he’s finally asleep, but his eyes slide open. He stares at her for a long minute and Donna fidgets, uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

“Don’t fall in love with him,” he whispers and her mouth falls open. 

His eyes close as she gapes at him and his hold on her hand relaxes as he finally falls asleep. Donna stands frozen by the side of his bed, holding his limp hand in hers for a moment, until she shakes her head out of her stupor and lays his arm across his stomach. She tries to get her heart rate under control as she turns to grab the folded clothes she had placed on his dresser, and she can’t help it when she turns back from the doorway to look at him. She can see his chest rising and falling with his deep, even breaths. He looks so calm and Donna feels like she’s on the verge of a panic attack. She turns away again, takes a deep breath, and walks resolutely out of his apartment.

* * *

Donna tries to forget about what Josh had said that night, so she says yes when Jack asks her to go away with him for the holiday. She’s been sitting with the Whiffenpoofs, trying to talk herself up and get excited about the mini romantic getaway when she hears the President ask Charlie if he can see Josh in his office. She slumps a little, but offers to stay anyway. She hangs out for one more song before taking her leave and heading to Josh’s office. She sees him walk out slowly as she says hello to the President, and the look on his face gives him away. She pushes whatever disappointment she could muster to the back of her mind and shakes off his apologies. 

“It’s not what it looks like,” he says and something inside her dings with recognition, but she just turns toward her desk and asks him what he needs. 

After a few phone calls and some file searches, Donna heads back over to him to give her report. He sighs, a little frustrated by the results, and looks back up at her. 

“I’ll get you there first thing in the morning.”

She stares at him for a moment, playing with the pen in her hands and she takes a steadying breath before she opens her mouth. 

“What did you mean when you said ‘it’s not what it looks like’?” she asks him, watching his reaction intently. 

“Jack’s already down there?”

“Yeah,” she says, letting him evade for now. 

“I’ll call him and apologize.”

“What did you mean?” she asks again, her voice serious. 

“I meant that I wasn’t keeping you here on purpose,” he says behind his coffee cup. 

Her eyes widen, pleading him to read between the lines. “Why would I think you were doing that?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Why would I think you were?” she tries, phrasing the question differently in hopes that he’ll fall for the spin.

“I don’t know, it was just somethin’ I said.”

“You’ve been just saying a lot of things lately,” she mutters and folds her arms over her chest. 

His brow furrows. “What does that mean?”

“It means…,” she starts, but stops abruptly and looks around the bullpen for a second. There’s no one around so she grabs his arm, drags him into his office, and shuts the door behind her. 

“Donna,” he says, a little amused. “If this is in regards to what I said about the picture your mother sent you where your brother was giving you a wedgie, I’ve already apologized and gave you all the photocopies I took.”

Donna rolls her eyes, but ignores the smug smirk on his face. “This is about you telling me not to fall in love with Jack,” she says bluntly. 

Josh’s face drops instantly and he opens and closes his mouth a little. “When did—“

“When we left the bar and I made sure you got home okay last weekend.”

He closes his eyes and his shoulders tense up higher on his neck. “Donna, I… was drunk,” he says, laughing nervously and Donna rolls her eyes again and shakes her head. “It didn’t mean—.”

“—Josh, I swear to God, if you say it was just something you said one more time, I will actually hit you,” she says, exasperated. She plants her feet and stands up straight. “What did you mean?”

“Donna,” he argues and he swings his torso around, but she follows him. 

“Tell me what you meant.”

Josh lets out another nervous chuckle and shrugs, so she steps closer to him. She hears his breath catch as he looks at her. 

“I didn’t mean anything,” he murmurs.

Donna takes another small step toward him. “I don’t believe you.”

Her gaze flashes to his lips and then back up to see his eyes dilate. His breathing gets a little heavier as she leans even closer to him, the energy between them electrifying her into action. 

He breathes her name and she stares blatantly at his lips now. Her tongue darts out to lick her own and she asks him again; “what did you mean?”

“Donna, we can’t,” he argues weakly, but she shakes her head. 

“Yes, we can. Tell me what you meant, Josh,” she says and she grabs the end of his tie to keep him close. 

Josh closes his eyes and rests his forehead against hers, breathing steadily for a long moment. “I don’t want you to leave,” he finally whispers. “I want you to stay. With me.”

She grips his tie tighter for a beat, her knuckles white, and her breathing stutters before she releases him and leans back a little to look him in the eye again. 

“With you,” she echoes quietly and Josh swallows, but nods his head. 

Donna reaches up to fix his already aligned collar and leaves her hands on his shoulders. She makes up her mind and looks him dead in the eye, smirking a little at his scared face. 

“Took you long enough,” she murmurs and she finally leans in and presses her lips to his. 

He freezes for a millisecond before he puts his hands on her waist and tugs her to him. Donna wraps her arms more fully around his shoulders and sighs quietly against his lips. He sneaks a hand under the red and white snowflake sweater she’s wearing and she shivers under his touch. His tongue pokes against her lips and she opens for him willingly, letting him lead, and she melts further into his arms. 

“Josh,” she whispers, but he cuts off anything else she was going to say when he kisses her harder. 

He wraps his arms securely around her and guides her backwards until her legs hit his desk. He helps her onto it and resumes his sensuous torture against her lips. She isn’t sure how long they stay that way, with his hands moving into her hair as he kisses her senseless. She pulls back after a while and smiles widely when she sees him try to follow her lips with his eyes still closed. 

He opens them after a moment, a look of confusion on his face, and she moans softly when he changes course and attacks her neck with his mouth. 

“Josh,” she hums and she moves her hands to his hair so she can hold him in place. “We’re making out in your office.”

He chuckles against her skin and he gives her neck another kiss before leaning back to look at her. His hair is messy from her fingers and his bright red lips make her clench her thighs together briefly which only makes his smirk grow. 

“You started it,” he says.

“Well, if I left anything up to you, it wouldn’t get done.”

He looks at her, offended. “I would’ve kissed you eventually.”

Donna just smiles and grabs his tie again, running it through her fingers. “You have to go see the President,” she murmurs. “Healthcare, remember?”

Josh groans a little and helps her off his desk. They turn to face each other and Josh moves her hair behind her shoulder. “Will you wait?” he asks softly.

Donna looks up at him. He’s stock still and his stance is screaming with tension. He looks so adorably scared of her that she can’t help but laugh a little at him. 

“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” she murmurs and she can feel the air around them shift back into the flirtatious nature it was before as he slowly wraps a hand around her waist. 

“How cute?”

She rolls her eyes and his dimples grow deeper in his cheeks. “ _Obnoxiously_ cute.”

His eyes dance in the low light of his office and Donna sighs a little as she remembers she has a call to make. Josh picks up on her mood change and he pulls her closer.

“You can’t keep the President waiting, Josh. You gotta go.” 

“Wait here for me,” he says, taking a couple steps backward, but not letting go of her hand. 

“Josh—“

“Please, Donna.”

She looks into his pleading eyes and she nods her head. “I have a phone call to make.”

“Yeah,” he says softly and he hesitates for a second before closing the distance and kissing her again. “I will be _right back_ , alright? Don’t go anywhere.”

Donna takes her hand back and actually pushes him out the door and toward the Oval. “I’ll be here when you get back,” she promises and he finally turns around and walks away. 

Donna watches him until he disappears around the corner, and goes to grab her coat and cell from her desk. She sighs heavily, makes her way out to the front of the Rose Garden, and dials Jack’s number. 

* * *

She runs into Leo on her way back into the bullpen.

“Donna,” he says, falling into step with her. “You’re free to go. Channel 10 has room to squeeze you on the chopper if you wanna grab your bag and get out of here.”

Donna falters for a second. “That’s very nice of you, Leo,” she says as they stop in front of her desk. “But I’ll stay and help Josh. It’s really okay.”

Leo shakes his head. “I’m calling it off. Go. You can still make it to the Washington Inn in time for dinner.”

She smiles at him a little wryly and ticks her phone with her fingernail a couple times. “My invite was just rescinded a little bit ago, actually,” she says quietly. 

“Oh,” he says and he pats her shoulder a little. “Well, the offer still stands if you wanna escape my Deputy.”

Donna snorts and shakes her head. “I think I heard something about CJ wanting to karaoke. Someone’s gotta be there to get it on tape.”

He smirks at her and goes to walk back toward Communications. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Leo!” she calls and turns to head into Josh’s office to wait for him. 

She makes herself comfortable in his chair and she props her feet up on his desk. She leans back and closes her eyes as the last hour whirs through her mind. She can’t help the smile that forms on her face when she thinks of the way Josh’s hands felt in her hair while his lips were on hers and she must nod off because the next thing she knows is someone is shaking her shoulder and saying her name. Her eyes blink open and Josh slowly comes into focus. She smiles at him.

“How was the President?”

“He’s good. Leo called everything off.”

“I know,” she murmurs and she smirks as his brow furrows in confusion. 

“How? He just told me in his office about 2 minutes ago.”

“Because he told me ten minutes ago when he came here looking for you.” 

“Oh.”

Donna looks at him for a beat. “He offered me a helicopter ride to the Inn.”

Josh freezes a little. “Yeah?”

She nods. “I said no.”

He lets out a small breath of relief. “Are you tired? Do you want me to take you home or do you wanna go watch CJ make a fool of herself singing Copacabana?”

Donna smirks and stretches a little as her feet hit the floor again. “I’m waiting for the day you get drunk enough to duet with her.”

Josh chuckles and helps her stand. “I’ve tried! She never wants to do Sonny and Cher.”

Donna grins. “You really date yourself with that one, Josh.” 

“‘I Got You Babe’ is _classic_ karaoke, Donna. I won’t argue with you about this again.”

He leads her out of his office to the coat rack and she helps him thread his arms through the sleeves. He turns around and snags her scarf from one of the hooks and loops it over her neck. He tugs her closer to him for a moment and his eyes darken when she bites her lip, but he swings away and keeps it professional.

“Was that how you woo’d womenfolk back in the day? Got up and sang a 60s love song to them in public?” she asks, smirking at him.

Josh puts his tongue in his cheek. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

She raises her eyebrows, impressed. “See, _that_ was smooth. I knew you had it in you.”

Donna starts walking and Josh puts his hand on her back like normal, but it’s like electricity jolts her blood when he touches her this time. She looks over to him to see if he noticed too, but he’s still on the last topic. 

“I have woo, Donnatella. I’m not some schmuck who doesn’t know how to treat a lady.”

“Just yesterday you taped a ‘kick me’ sign on my back, only your ‘K’ looked like an ‘L’ so I got _licked_!” 

Josh chuckles. “Yeah, that was intentionally ambiguous. I ran a quantitative research study on how humans translate words and symbols.”

“You’re a schmuck who’s full of shit,” she says, giving him the side-eye as they make their way out of the lobby. 

“Okay, that wasn’t woo. Of course it wasn’t woo, you were still Donna yesterday.”

“As opposed to today,” she muses. 

“No, today you’re Donna-Who-I’ve-Kissed and she’s gonna start getting some hearts and flowers.” She looks at him and his eyes widen a little. “Unless you don’t _want_ hearts and flowers.”

“Josh,” she says and comes to a stop outside the White House gates. His eyes somehow get even wider and she huffs a laugh at his face. “Relax,” she says and grabs his hand in her gloved one. “It’s just me.”

“Exactly,” he says softly and he steps closer to her. “It’s you. You’re not _just_ anything.”

“Josh—“

“I’m not good at this,” he continues, “and that’s under semi-normal circumstances, but this is different.”

“You’re sweet,” she murmurs and she squeezes his hand. “But we’re already past the hard part, Josh. We already know each other better than anyone else. We already trust each other, we’ve already met each other’s parents, we’ve seen each other in various states of undress.”

He smirks. “I knew you saw my ass that day when we were in Sarasota.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “I’ve seen it all, Josh. I mean, we practically lived together after Rosslyn.” His eyes go soft at that and he squeezes her hand. “The only difference is that now, I can kiss you. If you want me to,” she adds as an afterthought.

Josh’s grin peeks out again. “I want you to.”

“Good,” she says, nodding her head once and starts walking in the direction of the bar. “So, just, don’t get all _you_ about it, alright? There’s nothing to freak out over.”

Josh stares after her for a minute before blinking and skipping a little to catch up with her. “We can do more than just kiss, though, right?”

She bites her lip to hide her smile. “What did you have in mind?”

He falls into step with her and grabs her hand in his again. “I was thinking you could come over after the bar.”

“Well, since my roommate has her boyfriend over this weekend, I suppose that could be arranged,” she says primely and she moves to thread her fingers through his. 

“Or maybe we could just skip the bar altogether and open the bottle of Dom that Toby got me for Hanukkah,” he murmurs and he nudges her shoulder with his. “And we can, you know, kiss some more.”

Donna hums. “Don’t you want to spend time with our friends?”

“Sure, yeah. Why wouldn’t I wanna hang out with the people I just saw all day?”

“You just saw _me_ all day,” she reminds him.

“Donna,” he whines and she squeezes his hand as they round the corner; the bar a couple blocks down. 

“One drink, Josh.”

He huffs. “I’ve never known CJ to let anyone leave after just one drink,” he scowls. “It’s three drinks and a two shot minimum with her.”

“No tequila this time,” she warns him. “I’m not dragging you up your apartment stairs again, plus it makes you too serious. I want fun Josh tonight.”

“You’re awful bossy.”

“You should be used to that by now,” she says and gives him a look. She drops his hand as he opens the door to the bar. “We’ll be in and out,” she says, patting his cheek as she walks by him. “Promise.”

* * *

“Joshua!” Donna yells as he comes around the table from the bar. She teeters in her chair, accidentally falling into Charlie a little bit, and she giggles. 

Josh just slides a big glass of water toward her and sits down. “Drink this.” She considers the water for a solid second and reaches for his beer instead. “Donna,” he warns, but she just smiles and takes a long swig from the frothy mug. 

Charlie nudges her the other way so she falls into Josh instead and he leans around her. “CJ bought her another Lunchbox while you were gone.”

“Traitor!” Donna gasps and sticks her finger in Charlie’s face. 

Josh just shakes his head amusedly as Donna snuggles more into his shoulder, cups his beer mug in her hands, and takes another sip. 

“You’re at your limit, Donnatella.”

“You’re not the boss of me, Joshua,” she mumbles. 

“I am, actually. There’s paperwork and everything.”

“This bar doesn’t fall under your jurisdiction.”

“You’re clever,” he smirks and he grabs his beer from her and replaces it with the glass of water. “Drink this,” he murmurs and she blows a raspberry at him.

“What are you? Six years old?” he asks.

“Where’s CJ? I like her drinks better.”

“I’m sure you do. Drink the water.”

She huffs, but obliges him, still laying on his shoulder. “You’re not very nice.”

“I’m okay with that.”

Charlie snorts and Donna turns to look at him. “How ya doin’, Charlie? Charlie’s a nice name. A nice name for a nice man, unlike _Josh_. Josh just sounds like a white Ivy League frat boy from Connecticut.

“I am a white Ivy League frat boy from Connecticut,” Josh says, giving her a confused look. 

She just points at him and looks back to Charlie, deadpanning, “my point exactly.”

“You know what else is a mean name?” Charlie asks, frowning at the drink in front of him. “Jean Paul.”

Donna nods vehemently. “The _worst_.”

“Chipper!” CJ calls suddenly. “Come here! Shot time!”

Charlie moves to stand and Donna starts to follow him, but Josh grabs her arm. “You’re not invited.”

She pouts and Charlie laughs at them. “Get her home, will you? We don’t need a repeat of her birthday.”

Josh chuckles and Donna scoffs. “I take back my name compliment. Charlie is a mean name, too.”

“I think I’ll live,” he says and tips his glass at them. “See you on Monday.”

Josh is still chuckling as Charlie walks to the bar and he turns to look at Donna. He taps on the glass in her hand, silently telling her to keep drinking, so she downs it, and rests her head on his shoulder again. 

“Hey, Josh?”

“Yeah,” he says, taking the glass from her hands and setting it on the table. 

“I think I’m drunk.”

He barks out a laugh and squeezes her thigh. “I think you’re right.”

“Can we go home now?”

“Yes, we can,” he says and he stands up and grabs her hand to pull her up. She sways a little and her eyes are closed as he helps her pull her coat back on. “Can you walk or should I call a cab?”

“I can walk,” she argues and she goes to take a step, but stumbles into the table. 

“Cab, then,” he chuckles. “Sit down. I’ll be right back.”

She exhales heavily and her eyes close again as Josh goes to the bar. He closes out his tab and asks the bartender to call a cab for him.

“You’re not leaving already,” CJ whines. “You never even got past tipsy!”

“Donna took it upon herself to drink for me.”

CJ peers around him and spies Donna, who now has her head down on the table, and she laughs. “I need friends who can hold their liquor.”

“Yeah,” he says and he squeezes her arm. “I’m gonna make sure she gets home okay.”

“Is she alright?” CJ asks softly. “She seemed excited earlier about Jack and she wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

Josh freezes for a moment, but recovers quickly. “She’s okay.”

CJ looks to Donna again before nodding her head. “Get home safe.”

“We will.”

He points at Toby who just raises his glass in acknowledgment before making his way back over to Donna. He crouches down and rubs her forearm.

“Come on, sleepyhead. Cab’s waiting.”

She groans and doesn’t move. “I think I’ll just sleep right here if that’s okay.”

He chuckles. “Come on,” he says again and he stands up.

Donna groans again, but lifts her head this time. She lets Josh maneuver her to her feet and he wraps his arm securely around her waist, before leading her out into the waiting cab. 

He gives the driver his address and Donna puts her head back on his shoulder. She frowns a little and sits back up, grabs his arm, and wraps it around her.

“Cold,” she mutters and she burrows into his side. He lets her sleep for the 10 minute cab ride, rubbing her shoulder to warm her up, and practically carries her up the snow covered stairs to his apartment. She wakes up a little bit once they’re inside and she drops her arms from his waist without a word and heads into his bathroom. Josh goes into his bedroom and grabs some clothes for her to change into. He lays them on his bed and heads back to the kitchen for some water. He hears her exit the bathroom and go into his room, so he grabs a water bottle for her and ducks into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

When he walks back into his bedroom, his heart swells when he sees her with his comforter tucked under her chin. Her clothes from the day are strewn about his floor and he smiles and walks over to her, setting the water bottle and a couple tylenol on the table, and leans down. 

“Donna,” he murmurs and he brushes her hair out of her face. 

Her eyes blink open and she smiles when she sees him. “I used your toothbrush.”

He breathes out a laugh. “I’m gonna sleep on the couch, okay?” 

She frowns. “No you’re not.”

“Donna—“

She sneaks a hand out of the confines of the blanket and tugs on his arm. He catches himself before he can fall completely on top of her and lets out a soft grunt. 

“Donna, you’re wasted,” he says, trying to get off the bed, but her arms wrap more firmly around him and hold him to her. 

“Stay,” she murmurs.

His resolve crumbles instantly and he unwraps her arms from around his shoulders. “Alright, but no funny business, Moss.”

She hums and her eyes open so she can look at him. He stands up and shrugs out of his button down shirt and he looks over at her for a moment before thinking _screw it,_ and he drops his pants. Donna licks her bottom lip and looks him up and down. 

“Go get my purse. I have the strongest urge to throw dollar bills at you right now,” she says, smiling like the cheshire cat and Josh rolls his eyes. 

He leans over and flicks the lights off and he slides into the bed. Donna turns to face him, her hands under her cheek, and Josh mirrors her. 

“Hi,” he murmurs. 

“Hi.”

“You feel okay? I put some tylenol over there, you should take them.”

“I already stole some when I was in the bathroom.”

“Of course.”

He stares at her, then, unsure of how to proceed, but she’s one step ahead of him like usual. She slides her hand over his chest and up to cup his cheek. He turns to kiss her wrist and moves his hand over her hip and pulls her closer. He hisses when her cold toes move to tuck under his leg. 

“God, you’re freezing,” he says and he wraps his arm around her fully and rubs her back. 

“Why do you think I made you stay in here instead of going out to the couch?”

He chuckles. “I should’ve known.”

“You’re like a space heater,” she mumbles and she caresses his face. “A really cute space heater.”

She moves to rest her forehead against his and closes her eyes again. Josh continues rubbing her back and her breathing becomes more even. He’s just about to fall asleep when she whispers his name. 

“Yeah?”

He feels more than sees her close the distance and kiss his mouth softly. She stays in his space when she pulls back, so he moves in and kisses her again, deeply this time, and he feels her grip tighten in his hair. She moans when he sneaks his hand beneath the shirt she’s got on and he pulls back, breathing heavy.

“Donna,” he murmurs when she hitches her leg over his hip and starts kissing him again. He loses himself in her for several wonderful minutes, many of which he spends marveling over the fact that she’s not wearing a bra, before he comes to his senses again and leans back, pushing at her shoulder so she can’t distract him again. 

She whines his name and he smirks at her insistence, but holds his ground. “You’re drunk,” he whispers. “I want to, Donna, believe me, but you’re drunk.”

He moves his hand up into her hair and runs his thumb over her ear. She opens her eyes, bloodshot from the alcohol and general exhaustion, but she still gives him a grade A pout. 

“I’m not drunk,” she says slowly, but the hiccup that escapes her blows her cover and Josh just raises his eyebrows. “Fine, I’m not _that_ drunk.” 

“You’re drunk enough.”

She pouts again and he has to take a deep breath to stop his emotions from spilling out right there on the comforter. He moves another piece of hair behind her ear and leans forward to kiss her forehead. 

“Go to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning,” he murmurs and she sighs deeply, but snuggles into the crook of his neck and throws her arm over his middle. 

“You owe me more than kissing,” she slurs. 

“I look forward to it,” he says and he shifts into a more comfortable position on his back so Donna can lay more fully on top of him. 

“Sorry I called you mean. Josh is a nice name.”

“Go to sleep, Donna.”

“A nice name for a nice man,” she mumbles and she reaches up to pat his cheek. 

Josh resumes his rhythmic ministrations up and down her back. He listens as her breathing evens out once more and he smiles before drifting off himself.

* * *

The sun shining in through the window is an unwelcome intruder as Donna wakes, but refuses to open her eyes. She groans and covers her face with her blanket, burrowing deeper into the pillow. She stops suddenly when she hears a soft laugh and she peeks out of the comforter, peels her eyes open into slits, and finds Josh looking at her amusedly. 

“Morning, sunshine,” he murmurs and he laughs again when she groans louder this time and flips the cover back over her head. 

“Am I dead?” she ponders, her words muffled by the blanket. 

“No,” he murmurs. “But I like that you think your afterlife will consist of being in my bed.”

She flips the cover back off her face and opens one eye to peer over at him. “Did we… you know.” Josh shakes his head and she lets out a relieved exhale. “Good. I’d wanna remember that.”

He just smiles at her and moves his hand over her hip, rubbing his thumb against her skin. 

“It wasn’t for your lack of trying,” he muses and she scrunches her nose at him. 

“I’m sorry,” she says and she rolls over so she can look at him. 

Josh shakes his head again. “Nothing to apologize for. I don’t mind taking care of you for a change.”

Her face softens and she moves her hand up to his cheek. 

“You’re nice,” Donna whispers.

Josh smirks. “I’m glad you’ve come around. You said I was mean last night.”

Donna groans again and rolls to hide her face in his chest. “Never drinking again,” she mumbles. 

“I like Drunk Donna,” he muses while rubbing her back. 

“Yeah, well, apparently she really likes you, too.”

Josh smirks. “What about sober Donna?”

Donna smiles into his skin before leaning back. She moves a hand from under her chin and walks her fingers up his arm. “She likes you, too,” she murmurs and his dimples deepen in his checks. “Most days.”

Josh rolls his eyes. “You’re not always sunshine and rainbows, you know.”

“I’m delightful 7 days a week, Josh,” she argues. “I’m the best part of your day.”

Josh looks up at her softly and pulls her closer. “That day you scammed your way—“

“I didn’t _scam_.”

“—into my office,” he continues. “We’d just got done with a meeting with the President, well, Governor at the time, and he didn’t remember any of our names and he didn’t trust any of us and I was getting frustrated and then I find this strange woman rooting around my office and answering my phone and she made me listen when I was trying to blow her off.

“I’m a fast walker. I could keep up.”

Josh chuckles. “I had no idea who you were. You could’ve been some Russian implant or–“ he gives her a weary look, “–actually that would make a lot of sense.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “I haven’t bugged your office. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I’m still not convinced,” he mumbles. “But _regardless_ ,” he says pointedly when she opens her mouth to interrupt again, “something about you felt right. You were smart and quick on your feet and you made me laugh.” He smiles at her, his eyes soft, and he squeezes her hip. “You always make me laugh and you’re always there when I need you and I know I take that for granted sometimes… Another bullet point on Stanley’s list of my mental weaknesses.”

Donna smiles back at him. “Josh.”

“I’m workin’ on it,” he says sincerely. “And I know we joke around a lot, but I’ve meant it, Donna. All of it. You’re not just… a way to get through the day. You are truly the best part of my day.” Josh grabs her hand in his. “Since day one, you always have been.”

She murmurs his name again and moves even closer to him, her leg slipping between his as she runs a hand up his shoulder and neck. 

“You’re mine, too,” she whispers and she lets his wild hair run through her fingers. “I wouldn’t happily stay past midnight at work at least 3 nights a week for just anyone.”

Josh’s eyes brighten and he pulls her flush against his body. She brushes her thumb over his warm skin and she looks at his lips when his tongue pokes out to wet them. She looks back up to his eyes and searches for any hesitation from him. When she finds none, she slowly leans in closer to him and looks up in time to see his eyes close. She smiles and rests her forehead against his as he breathes heavily against her mouth. 

“Donna,” he murmurs, his hand squeezing her shoulder. “Are you sure? If we cross this line, I won’t be able to go back and I don’t want—“

“I want this, Josh,” she whispers, trailing her hand up his neck soothingly. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. I’m ready, but if you’re not, we can stop.”

“I’m ready,” he answers quickly. “I want this, too.”

“Then stop overthinking it,” she breathes and she leans the rest of the way in and kisses him. 

Josh pulls her on top of him and puts his hand on the back of her head to keep her close. She moans into his mouth when he thrusts against her and her thighs clench automatically. 

“Josh,” she pants and she tugs on the hem of his shirt. “Take this off.”

He grabs her thighs and spreads them until her knees bracket his hips and he sits them up, lifting his arms so she can get his shirt off. He runs his hands underneath the shirt of his that she's wearing and around to her chest. He palms her breasts and she moans again, leaning into his touch. He whispers her name as he pinches her nipples and she thrusts on top of him. She lifts her own arms so he can slide the shirt off of her. 

His jaw drops a little when he sees her bare chest and he leans in automatically to press kisses on the soft skin around her nipples. His tongue pokes out to taste her before he shifts and licks the puckered bud, making her moan his name. Her hands fly to his hair, clutching him tightly so he won’t move. 

“Don’t move,” she whimpers and he wraps his arms tighter around her waist. 

She squeaks when he scrapes his teeth lightly over her nipple and her thighs clench again. 

“Fuck,” he mumbles and he thrusts a little bit, trying to get friction. 

Donna guides him to her other breast and he gives it the same attention before kissing up her neck to her lips. He rolls them so she’s on her back and he kisses back down her neck and chest. He keeps going, letting his tongue drag lazily down her skin. He kisses a path across her stomach, bringing his hands up to finger at the shorts she’s wearing. She doesn’t say anything, just lifts her hips so he can drag them down. He immediately kisses down over the hem of her underwear and to her mound. She gasps a little and her hips lift again. He smirks as he runs his hands up and down her thighs, shifting to get a better position. Once he’s settled, he kisses her mound again.

“Josh,” she moans and she fists the comforter. He licks up the center of her underwear and she keens. “Off, take them off.”

He moves to kiss her thigh and brings his hand over to rub at her over her underwear. She lets out a breathless sigh that goes straight to his dick and he stops teasing the both of them and pulls her panties down, tossing them to the floor. He looks up at her face and she trails her hand down her body and into his hair, pulling him closer to her. Josh keeps eye contact as he licks up her slit again and he grins when her eyes roll back and her hips thrust against him.

“More,” she whispers, her fingers clenching in his hair. 

He looks down again and doesn’t hold back as he licks and sucks at her folds relentlessly. It doesn't take long until Donna’s a writhing mess above him. Her hair is tangled around her and her moans are bouncing around his bedroom. Josh directs his attention to her clit, lapping at her rhythmically with his tongue as his knuckles knead her folds. 

“Fuck, Josh,” she groans and her hips lift against him, “right there, don’t move.”

He doubles his efforts, keeping pressure on her clit with his tongue as her hips start to undulate against him until she’s moaning loudly and he can feel her walls contract as she comes on his tongue. He moans into her, completely surrounded by her arousal, and he feels her fingers tighten for a long moment before dropping from his hair and onto the mattress with a breathless sigh. Josh leans back from her sensitive nub and kisses her thighs again before moving back up and over her. Donna pulls him to her and kisses him deeply, tasting herself, and she moans again. 

Josh’s hands are everywhere at once, running over every piece of skin he can reach, and Donna wraps her arms fully around his shoulders and hitches her knees up on his waist. 

“Josh,” she murmurs. 

He doesn’t say anything, just starts kissing down her neck and sucking a mark behind her ear. Donna runs her fingernails down his back until she sneaks into the waistband of his boxers and tugs. She doesn’t get very far before Josh moves to kiss her mouth again and she gets distracted when his tongue slides over hers. She mumbles his name again and tugs harder on his boxers. When he still doesn’t help her get him naked, she huffs and rolls them again so she’s on top of him. She sits up on his stomach and pushes at his shoulders so he stays on his back and she moves down so she can finally pull his boxers off. 

Donna bites her lip and looks up at him briefly before reaching out and running her finger very lightly up the length of him. Josh lets out a heavy sigh and his eyes close for a moment until she murmurs his name and runs her finger back down and cups his balls. 

“Donna,” he groans and his hips jerk a little. 

“Tell me what you want.”

He only moans again when she circles the head of his dick and then drops her hand from him completely. He looks at her, his breathing a little labored, and he brings his hand up to run over her hair. 

“I want you,” he whispers and she grabs his hand and kisses his palm. 

“What do you want me to do?”

“Donna, I’m not—“

“You have no problem telling me exactly what to do all day long,” she says. “I know you know how to use your words, Josh. I need you to use them now.”

“I thought you didn’t like me telling you what to do?” 

“This is different,” she murmurs and she plays with his fingers for a moment. “I need you to talk to me and tell me what you want.”

His eyes blaze into hers and he grips her thigh with his free hand before whispering, “I want your mouth.”

She smiles flirtatiously at him, glad that he's going along with her wishes, and she scoots farther down the bed. “Where do you want my mouth?” she asks, leaning over him and brushing a kiss against his thigh. 

His breath stutters and his hand moves into her hair as she gets closer to his straining erection. “Wrapped around my cock,” he pants and she does just that. 

He moans loudly when her lips take the tip of him into her mouth and she slowly sinks all the way down before coming up again.

“ _Fuck_ , just like that,” he groans. “Slow. Go slow.”

She starts a leisurely torture over him, taking him all the way into the hilt and fondling his balls before sliding back up and sucking on his head. She sticks her tongue out and licks at his slit and his hips jump off the bed. 

“God, _shit_ ,” he squeaks and the hand in her hair tenses for a moment. “Keep using your tongue. Over— _yeah_.” 

Donna follows his instructions, licking him up and down. She sucks him fully into her mouth again, swirling her tongue on the underside of him, and he brings his other hand to her shoulder. 

“Faster,” he pants, so she speeds up, bobbing up and down on him and she trails a finger to scratch at his balls. He shouts her name and she smirks around him before taking him back in fully and humming loudly. “Holy shit,” Josh mumbles and Donna looks up at him. 

His eyes are closed tight and his mouth is open in ecstasy as she quickens her pace and continues scratching at that spot underneath him. He moans loudly and his hips start to thrust on their own accord. Donna braces herself on his thighs so he can’t move quite as much and his eyes pop open to look at her. 

He moves her hair off to the side and brushes her cheek with his thumb before she hums again and his eyes roll back in his head. 

“Again. Fuck, keep doing that.”

Donna hums a little louder and moves her hand to wrap around his base as she sucks on the tip. She moves in tandem and it doesn’t take long before Josh is panting and grasping at anything he can hold onto. 

“Donna,” he mumbles and she hollows her cheeks, sucking him hard. “Donna, _Donnatella,_ I’m gonna come. Fuck, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna—“

She releases him from her mouth as his orgasm sweeps through him, her hand pumping him quickly so he can get more friction. He moans wildly as he spills over her hand and his stomach. His hips finally un-tense and lower after a moment, and Donna releases him when he’s gone soft in her hand. She reaches over him, her breasts swaying in front of his face, to grab some tissues from his bedside table. He palms her breast, tweaking her nipple with his fingers and she moans quietly before grabbing his wrist to pull his hand off her so she can clean him up. 

He twitches when she wipes across his dick and as soon as she throws the tissue in the trash can, he hauls her on top of him. 

“Come here,” he murmurs and he rolls her underneath him. 

Donna giggles quietly against his lips as he kisses her. She brings her hands up to cup his face and she pulls back from his lips to look at him. His eyes stay closed for a beat before he opens them and a lazy smile forms on his face. Donna brushes his cheeks with her thumbs.

“How ya doin’?” she asks. 

He leans in and kisses her. “Really good,” he murmurs and he collapses on his side, facing her, his arm around her waist. “What about you?”

She smiles. “I’m really, _really_ good. Turns out an orgasm is a great hangover cure.”

Josh chuckles at her. “I’m glad I could be of service.” 

Donna bites her lip and looks down for a second and Josh runs his warm hand across her back. He palms her ass, pulling her more firmly into his body, and continues tracing patterns up her arm. 

“How are you really,” he murmurs and she looks back into his eyes. 

She thought she’d find terror or panic, but all she sees is calm surety. She moves to scratch behind his ear and he hums happily, falling more into her. 

“I’m perfect,” she whispers, smiling at him when his dimples deepen. 

“Yeah?”

She nods her head. “I’m thoroughly woo’d,” she says, rolling her eyes when his grin turns smug. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Oh, I’m letting it go to my head.”

Donna doesn’t respond, just pushes his shoulder so he leans back and she grabs the blanket that made its way to their feet and hauls it over both their heads. He just smiles softly and holds his arms out for her as she wiggles around and finally gets comfortable. She lets out a happy sigh and he tightens his hold around her. 

“Are we in hiding?” he murmurs.

“No,” she whispers, but she furrows her brow. “Well– maybe? Are we?”

She looks up and can’t really see his face since they’re covered, but she can feel the air change between them. He pulls her closer and rests his chin on her head. 

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he says quietly and continues running his fingers up and down her arm. “I mean, we’re past re-election now, but we just put out the fighter pilot fire and I—“

“— don’t want to give anyone anymore ammo against the President.”

“He’s not even sworn in yet. If Mary Marsh caught wind that this is happening, she’d beat it to death, Donna, and we’d start another 4 years with a scandal. I don’t wanna put you through that. I won’t.”

She lets out a long sigh and nuzzles into his neck. They lay there quietly, nothing but the hum of his heat kicking on and an errant car horn outside. 

“If we keep this from CJ, she will actually murder us,” Donna says after awhile. “And she won’t be kind about it.”

Josh huffs a laugh and flips the cover off their heads so he can see her clearly. The sunshine catches in her hair and she’s giving him a sleepy smile that makes his heart constrict. 

“Tell me what you want to do and I’ll do it.”

“Josh.”

“I’ll tell CJ or I’ll go into the Oval and tell the President right now.”

“ _Josh_ ,” she repeats and he looks at her, his eyes wide. “We don’t even know what this is. We don’t have to tell anyone anything yet.” She rolls more on her back and grabs his hand. 

“‘Cause lying worked so well for us in the past,” he says, mostly teasing, but she looks over to him with a nervous look on her face. 

“It wouldn’t be lying,” she says unconvincingly and Josh watches as her eyes get wider and wider before she moves to get out of the bed completely, but he grabs her arm and pulls her back in.

“Everything is gonna be fine,” he says.

“Is it? What are we gonna say? That we hooked up?”

Josh frowns. “We didn’t _hook up_ , Donna. Is that what you classify it as?”

“No,” she says and she squeezes his hand. “No, Josh. Last night and this morning…” she looks down again at his thumb rubbing along her knuckles. “It means a lot to me,” she finishes softly. “But it’s complicated and I don’t want to be a burden on you or the President, so maybe—“

“It means a lot to me, too,” he whispers, cutting her off and he tilts her chin up and looks at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her softly. He pulls back and takes a breath. “Can I make a suggestion?”

She nods her head. “Please.”

“I propose that we don’t talk about CJ or Leo or Mary Marsh again until tomorrow.”

“Josh, we can’t—“

“And _instead_ , I will go down the block and get us some breakfast at Murphy’s.”

Donna raises her eyebrows. “With hazelnut coffee?” 

Josh smiles and nods his head. “With hazelnut coffee and strawberry french toast. And you,” he squeezes her arm, “are gonna stay right here and definitely _not_ put your clothes back on. Deal?”

Donna licks her lips and looks up at him softly. “Deal.”

He kisses her one last time before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Once he’s dressed, he looks over at her and he can’t help it when he leans down to kiss her again. 

“Don’t go anywhere,” he murmurs and before Donna can remind him there was a snow storm last night and she’s likely to be stuck here anyway, he’s out the door.

* * * 

“This movie is terrible,” Josh says, much later. “Like, I actually want to crawl in a hole and die. It’s that bad.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “You have no taste.”

“You’re telling me you _enjoy_ this nonsense?”

“It’s festive.”

“It’s _awful_.”

“Josh, you said I could pick the movie if you could pick takeout. You chose Chinese even though I wanted Italian, I chose Elf even though you wanted Die Hard. It’s called compromise.”

“Is it still considered compromise if I die of boredom?”

Donna shifts on her end of the couch, stretching her legs out to nudge Josh’s arm. “I’m not forcing you to watch it, you’re free to go.”

“It’s my apartment!”

“Josh—“

“Donna, I can think of about 12 other things we could be doin’ right now, and none of them consist of watching Will Ferrell walk around in yellow tights.”

She smirks despite herself and turns to face him. “And what would you have us do instead?”

“Well,” he drawls and grabs her legs to hoist her to him, “you’d be closer for one thing.”

Donna chuckles and shifts up onto her knees before sitting back down on his lap, her arms around his neck. They’d moved into his living room earlier, Josh whining when he got back with breakfast to find Donna in the clothes he’d given her the night before, but she stayed strong because she knew they wouldn’t leave his bed all day, and she wanted to just hang out with him. They’ve never really gotten to just be lazy together and it’s been really nice. She’s not mad about him changing the course of the evening, though. 

“This close enough for you?” she murmurs. 

“We’re gettin’ there,” he retorts, smirking before he presses his lips to hers. “Closer.” He gives her another kiss while his hands slide up her shirt. “Almost there,” he whispers as her fingers thread through his hair and her body arches, flushed against him. 

Donna moans against his mouth when he tweaks her nipples, her thighs clenching. “Josh.”

He takes no time in running his hands down her belly and around to her ass, palming at her underneath the shorts she has on. He leans back to get more comfortable, kissing a path down her neck until she pushes on his shoulders and says his name more firmly this time. 

“Yeah,” he grunts, still trying to kiss any part of her he can reach. 

“Hold on,” she laughs and cups his face to put more distance between their lips. “I just— hold on.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong and we will definitely get back to _that_ in a minute, I just need to—“ she exhales roughly and tucks her hair behind her ear before looking at him. He squeezes her hips reassuringly. “I know we agreed to table everything until tomorrow, but if we’re gonna do this, I wanna do it right.”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“Before, I said we didn’t know what this is and I still don’t, but I know what I want it to be.”

“What do you want it to be?” he asks softly. 

She takes another breath and runs her hands across his shoulders and down his chest. “I want it to be real. I don’t want it in the shadows. I can’t sneak around and feel like I’m doing something wrong when I know that this is so right. We have to tell CJ and Leo and we’ll go from there. I’ve already spent too long not doing this with you. I can’t only have this in the background, I’ll go crazy and it won’t work.”

Josh listens to her carefully and rubs her thighs soothingly as she looks at him, her eyes uncertain. 

“Those are your conditions?” he asks, his eyebrows raised. 

She nods. “I want everything or nothing at all.”

Josh grins and kisses her quickly. “Done.”

Donna’s brow crinkles. “Really?”

“Yes,” he assures her. “I was gonna say the same thing.”

“ _Really_?” she asks, still dubious. “‘Cause earlier you seemed like you were leaning the other way.”

“Look, I’m not sayin’ it’s gonna be easy. It won’t be and I’m honestly not sure if we’ll still get to work together, but I can give that part of us up if it means we get to do this.” He squeezes her hips. “I will do anything you want as long as we still get to do this.”

Josh kisses her again and a slow smile works its way across her face. “Anything?” she asks suggestively. 

“Within reason,” he amends. “Let’s not get carried away.”

Donna hums and grinds down onto him. She hovers her lips over his, pulling back each time he leans in, and smiles wickedly. “Like finishing the movie?”

Josh groans and throws his head back on the arm of the couch. “I walked right into it.” 

Donna giggles and scoots down Josh’s body until she’s laying in front of him on the couch, his arm wrapped around her stomach. He groans again as Donna presses play (how did she press pause without him knowing?) on the movie, but he snuggles in anyway. If he lays his head just right, her hair blocks the majority of his view, so instead of being turned off by what’s on screen, he focuses all his energy on Donna. He sneaks his hand under her shirt again, just the tip of his thumb as he brushes across her belly. It shakes beneath him as she laughs at something on screen and Josh flashes back to when it was shaking for different reasons this morning. He feels himself harden further and he knows Donna feels it, too, because she presses back against him. 

Josh tries to put more of his hand up her shirt, but her arm blocks him, so he runs his fingers down her leg instead. He writes her name with his fingertip on her bare thigh and runs back up to her belly. She moves the arm blocking his path to rest on top of his, giving him full access which he immediately takes advantage of. He drags his palm up her stomach and to her chest, cupping her breast and massaging it gently. The breathy moan that escapes her goes straight to his dick, and he pinches her nipple before running back down her body and into her shorts. He rubs at her through her panties and she arches against him, the hand still on his arm digging half-moons into his skin. 

“Josh,” she pants, her eyes fluttering closed as he circles her clit. “The movie.”

“Forget the movie, let’s go to bed,” he murmurs, taking his hand out of her pants and moving forward to cup her jaw so he can kiss her neck. “We can finish our earlier conversation in there.”

“Mmmm, Josh,” she breathes when he squeezes her breast again. “Please tell me you have condoms.” He chuckles and nods against her. “Good, ‘cause mine are at the office.”

“Why do you have condoms at the–“ he starts, grinning at her confusedly, and then he realizes that she left her weekend bag at her desk because she wasn’t meeting up with Jack anymore, who said condoms were originally meant for, and his erection literally deflates. “Oh.”

Donna freezes in front of him. “I didn’t mean to—“

“I know.”

“But I did?”

“Yeah.”

She lets out the breath she’d been holding and Josh sits up behind her. “You never, uh, told me how that phone call went,” he says, running his finger around her elbow absentmindedly. 

“You didn’t ask,” she rebuttals, “and I didn’t want to make things weird by just pronouncing it. The fact that I stayed was all I planned on focusing on.” She sits up beside him and grabs his hand. “I already told you I want this to be real. You don’t have to worry about Jack, okay?”

“I wasn’t worried, it’s just, I don’t know... _weird_.”

“It doesn’t have to be weird, Josh. I wasn’t in love with him or anything.”

“‘Cause I told you not to be?” he says, trying for humor, but she grows serious. 

“‘Cause I'm in love with someone else.”

She says it so matter-of-factly, like there’s no contest, like there’s nothing but the fact, and Josh’s heart jackhammers in his chest. He licks his lips, his mouth suddenly dry, and he holds her hand tighter. 

“You are?”

She nods, his most favorite smile sliding across her features. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Josh,” she whispers, like it’s her best kept secret. 

Josh grins. “You have?” She keeps nodding, her smile growing bigger, and she leans in to press a soft kiss to his lips. “Me, too.”

“I know you’ve been in love with yourself for a long time,” she quips and he gives her a look. 

“I’m in love with _you_.” 

“You are?” she asks, happiness flickering in her eyes. He nods and smiles, pressing his lips to hers as she did earlier, and she wraps her arms back around his neck. “Good.”

Josh kisses her for a moment, one of his hands gripping the leg that's resting against his, and he pulls back. He looks at her, smile still on his face, and she laughs a little breathlessly at him, her hand colliding with his as they both reach to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

“Let’s go to bed,” he murmurs again, squeezing her leg once more, and she nods. 

“Okay.”

* * *

When Donna wakes up the next morning, her eyes blink open slowly, disoriented, and she goes to bury her nose in her pillow, but is met with Josh’s shoulder instead and she smiles as last night floods her mind. She bites her lip when she remembers how it felt to be totally surrounded by him. The way his hands had been everywhere, gentle and strong, loving her in a way she didn’t think was possible. She rubs his chest softly, her finger finding the silver scar with ease, and she traces it lovingly. She moves her leg more across his, hooking their ankles together, and he twitches beneath her. 

Her smile grows when he pulls her tight against him, letting out a breath, and she watches his eyelids flicker before opening fully. He looks so adorably confused for a split second until his brain catches up with him and Donna brushes some hair off his forehead. 

“I could get used to this,” he says, his throat raspy with sleep and she smirks when his hand trails down to squeeze her bare ass. 

“Yeah?” 

He nods his head fervently and looks down at her, a sleepy smile on his face. “Donna, you’re in my bed and you’re _naked_.”

Donna looks at him a little shyly, still running her finger up and down his chest, and she tries to collect the emotions rolling around inside of her. She blinks a few times, closing her eyes completely when the tears still form, and she looks down. She’s surprised when his hand comes up to her jaw and tilts her face so he can see her. Her eyes are watery, she knows, but she stares back at him resolutely. 

Josh traces her cheek and jaw softly, his fingertip barely whispering over her skin as he takes her in. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs and she can’t help the blush that spreads on her cheeks. He moves to brush his fingers through her hair, fanning it out onto the pillow behind her and Donna closes her eyes again, reveling in the feeling of being with him like this. 

“I could _really_ get used to this,” she says, humming happily as he continues his ministrations. 

“Yeah?”

She nods and opens her eyes. “I meant what I said last night,” she murmurs. 

“Me, too,”

“It’s gonna be really hard,” she says, raising her eyebrows in a silent challenge. 

“Yeah,” he agrees and he cups her cheek. “But you’re so worth it.”

Outside, the snow falls quietly as Josh kisses the sated smile on her face. 

**Author's Note:**

> This originally started as just a drunk Josh piece and then spiraled into this word vomit after I was watching season 4 a couple weeks ago. Hope you guys enjoyed :)


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